AzNA Highlights Board Members

Arizona Nurse, Jul 2006 by Denious, Andie

Having been a nurse for 40 years in various positions and locations, I've seen the nursing profession change dramatically. When I graduated from Columbia University, College of Nursing in 1964, hospital nurses still wore uniforms, white stockings and shoes and the nursing cap that identified the school they graduated from; there were no such things as advanced practice, nurse practitioners, clinical specialists, intensive care. Nursing has definitely come a long way in the past four decades!

My first "hands-on" experience with the changes underway in the nursing profession was upon graduation from the Master's program at ASU when I accepted a position with the "Participatory Education Project" at the ASU College of Nursing (CON). Dr. Ellame Branstetter, a professor at ASU CON had applied for and received a grant to establish the first "nurse managed" health clinic with nurse practitioners providing the health services. Community Health Services (CHS) was, and remains to this day, a unique, highly regarded and nationally recognized clinic/program.

Other positions in my lengthy career have included one with the Department of Economic Security with the state health plan for Arizona foster children. For the past 12 years, I have been Immunization Services Manager with the Arizona Immunization Program Office in the Department of Health Services. In my public health nurse role, I can't pass up the opportunity to stress the importance for all health care workers - especially nurses! - to get their annual influenza shot.

The one continuous thread throughout my nursing career has been membership in professional organizations, especially the state nurses association, AzNA. Other long-time memberships have included ANA, the Arizona Public Health Association, and Sigma Theta Tau. All have provided current research and updates on current nursing issues and trends, but AzNA in particular, has provided support, access to some of the best nursing minds in Arizona, and a sense of contributing to the nursing profession. Over the years, I have been fortunate to serve on the Continuing Education Review Committee, and on the Board of Directors as Secretary, Director at Large and Delegate. I strongly believe all nurses, regardless of where they work or their areas of expertise, should first and foremost, belong to and support their state nurses association. Specialty associations are just that - specialties. AzNA represents all nurses, regardless of where we work and what we do.

Andie Denious, RN, MS, CNA/BC, Director at Large